birding-aus

Bali - rabies

To: Carl Clifford <>
Subject: Bali - rabies
From: Penny Brockman <>
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:37:48 +1000
Dear all

I'm just back from Bali, totally Rabies free. Kept these emails on file so that I could report back. Dog situation is well under control in the areas I visited - Ubud and it surrounds, temples, artists workshops, blacksmiths, cafes and other places between Ubud and the Bali Botanic Gardens. Lots of dogs hanging around at the gates of houses, they bark at you in the evening but no sign of any viciousness and only a very few in sorry condition. There has been a great effort to clean up the problem with dogs being de-sexed and killed if no owners found. Much better than Peru where I spent time in the 1980s and you had to throw stones at the dogs and carry a stick.

So I think we can all rest assured there is not much to fear from the Bali dogs nowadays - the monkeys are much worse. Grab anything you are careless enough to let them see. We were warned all the time about them but had no problems.

When I was in Bali in the late '90s, the place was over-run with great numbers the most scrofulous, mangy curs I had ever seen. I was set on, and nearly bitten twice in a week, in Ubud. I suggest carrying a stout stick. I soon obtained a good length of rattan. It served well as a walking stick and as a handy lathi.

I presume that the dog situation would not have improved, and now with the presence of Rabies, I certainly would take considerable care. Rabies prophylaxis is not a magic bullet. The US Centre for Disease control says "pre- exposure prophylaxis might protect persons whose postexposure therapy is delayed. Finally, it might provide protection to persons at risk for unapparent exposures to rabies." This means that you will still need curative injections, paricularly if you can't get the head of the dog that bit you to a good rabies lab, which in Bali, would be fairly difficult and expensive.

Cheers,

Carl Clifford

On 14/03/2009, at 12:47 AM, storm wrote:

Anyone going to Bali should be aware there is an uncontrolled rabies
outbreak presently on the island.  You may want to consider prophylactic
vaccination prior to departure. Prophylactic vaccination is 3 doses over a
month - post exposure is 5. Your doctor will be able to tell you more.

Bali was previous rabies free however some dogs who were ill were arrived
from another island in a boat. And the rest is history.

Be careful of any of the dogs as they are the primary carriers in this
outbreak.

cheers

storm


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